Firelit Fang
by Spunky0ne
Summary: As Ichigo loses his powers at the end of the war with Aizen, Renji struggles with the desire to grow stronger. A reckless act places both Byakuya and Renji in danger, but can it help Renji find the strength he needs?...yaoi, mpreg...Renji/Byakuya, Kisuke/Tetsuya
1. Embers

**Firelit Fang**

**By Spunky0ne**

**Chapter 1: Embers**

Renji stood quietly in the shade of a nearby building, close enough the see and hear what was happening a short distance away, where Rukia stood with Ichigo, Chad, Uryu and Orihime, but far enough away to not be noticed.

But even if I was ten dimensions away, I would still feel it…

It was the first time he remembered not being annoyed by his lack of ability to easily sense changes in the reiatsu around him. It was a relief that he didn't have to feel the last bits of Ichigo's power as it faded away. He couldn't even imagine what Rukia was feeling, standing there in front of him, knowing that as he stood there looking back, he was losing his ability to see her.

How can he be so calm and seem so 'okay' with this? Ichigo lives to protect his nakama, and as of this moment, there are a lot of those people who he can't even see or sense anymore! I can't even consider being made so helpless that I couldn't fight anymore. Ever since I was a kid, all I've known was fighting…fighting to survive, fighting to protect my loved ones, and fighting to become stronger. Ichigo was one of those people I looked up to at times when my own strength failed. So damned powerful, unafraid, determined. It didn't mean that he won every battle. He lost his share. But the thing was, he never stopped fighting.

And because he never stopped fighting, he always came through in the end. But how will he fight now? What can he do to protect anyone? He can't even protect himself anymore. It's the kind of time like in the living world movies, where another strong person would step in to protect everyone. But who is that person going to be? It sure as hell isn't me. I'm not anywhere near strong enough. Sure, I sharpen my blade every day. I say the right words and make lots of noise about getting stronger and being able to do something like that, but…

_Even after all of this time and all of these battles I've fought…_

He felt it then, the rise of that powerful presence, the heavy weight of unrelenting reiatsu weighing down on him, the stoic gray eyes that remained calm and focused, even as he killed.

I still haven't even come close.

He felt the touch of those calm, quiet eyes and tried to force down his emotions, to make his face that calm, to keep his hands from shaking, to keep his heart from pounding faster and tears from coming to his eyes as Rukia became invisible to Ichigo and he slowly walked away from the place where she stood, and joined his human friends.

"It's over," he whispered numbly, "It's really over…"

It took him a moment to realize that Byakuya had moved and was now standing beside him. His eyes were focused on Rukia, who stood silently where Ichigo had left her, her violet eyes proud, sad and amazingly still dry.

But then, Rukia wouldn't cry in front of Byakuya.

"Why are you still standing here?" Byakuya said, breaking the silence between them and making him catch his breath in surprise.

"Why am I…?" he sputtered.

"One would think," Byakuya went on, "that a longtime friend would not simply stand by and observe a friend in torment."

"Maybe she wants to be alone," Renji said, his eyes on Rukia, "If I go down there, she's only going to call me an idiot and kick me around to get the frustration out."

Byakuya remained perfectly composed and did not answer. But knowing Byakuya as well as he did now, he knew instinctively what the noble was thinking.

_You are an idiot. Get down there and take whatever abuse she hands out like a real friend would…because she needs that comfort. And even if she yells at you and calls you names, at least you know that your love reaches her._

He felt a pang of something that felt like sympathy as he heard the deeper unspoken truth beneath Byakuya's words.

_She is hurting and I can't be the one to go to her. She would only shut down and refuse to show her weakness, because that is what she has learned from me. You connect with her in a way I can't. Help her. Be the friend I cannot be._

It was that sad thought that brought him out of his reverie and made his feet move…carried him across that distance and brought him down to rest beside her. He knew better than to say anything. There were some times, he knew, that saying anything would be saying the wrong thing, so he stood beside her and kept his thoughts to himself. Rukia seemed not to notice him at first. At least, she didn't acknowledge him at all. It was like she was holding her breath. And then, he sensed Byakuya's flash step and the fading of his powerful presence.

Of course she wouldn't let down in front of him…

But with Byakuya's leaving, she would relax enough that he could coax her into moving again.

"Come on," he said quietly, "Let's get out of here. You mission here is over."

He paused for a moment as she stared straight ahead and said nothing.

"Unless maybe you want to go to Urahara's place to get something to eat first."

He knew almost as the words left his mouth that it had been the wrong thing to say to her.

"Idiot!" she snapped, "I'm standing here after I've just disappeared from my best friend's life and all you can think of to do is to go have some food?

"Hey!" Renji squawked defensively, "I thought that I was your best friend! And anyway, I was just looking out for your best interests. Wouldn't want you to faint from pining away after him, you know."

He should have known to duck, but missed his cue entirely and instead saw her incoming foot a second before it struck him in the head.

"OW!" he yelled, "What the hell is _wrong_ with you anyway?"

"How dare you say that!" she yelled back, swinging her fists at him, "You big, stupid insensitive jerk! I'm not pining away! He's my friend and I'm sad he can't see me anymore! And you could be a little sympathetic. But who am I kidding? This is Abarai Renji we're talking about! Abarai, the big bad 'gonna be a badass someday, but right now usually ends up _on_ his ass, Renji!'"

"Knock it off, Kuchiki," he said, trying to express detachment as he swallowed the lump in his throat, "You're just feeling sorry for yourself. Yeah, he can't see you and he's not your big, powerful awesome friend anymore, but it's not like he died or anything. And besides, if he's not strong anymore, it just means the rest of us have to get stronger to make up for it."

"Huh," Rukia huffed, "Not like _you_ could ever be anywhere near as strong as _he_…"

She broke off and went silent, her eyes widening as she realized what had come out of her mouth.

"Renji…I'm sorry," she said, backpedaling quickly, "I didn't mean…"

He wasn't sure when he had decided to flash step away. He only knew that one second he stood at her side and the next, he was out of hearing and flash stepping blindly, unable to escape the storm of self-loathing that wrapped around him.

"_Not like you could ever be anywhere near as strong as he_…"

"Damn it!" he breathed, trying to shut the words out.

"_This is Abarai Renji we're talking about! Abarai, the big bad 'gonna be a badass someday, but right now usually ends up on his ass, Renji!'_"

"Damn it!"

It only hurts this much because she's right.

_I couldn't protect my friends in Inuzuri. I couldn't save Rukia. And of all the ones who went to Hueco Mundo, I was the one who just kept getting the shit knocked out of him and couldn't win a fucking battle!_

_She's right…I'll never be strong enough! No matter what I do, I always fall short._

_Damn…_

He passed through the precipice world in a daze and crossed over into Soul Society, unseeing, uncaring, unaware of anything around him. He stumbled through the main gates and into the Seireitei, not meaning to go anywhere, but somehow ending up back at the sixth division. He opened the door and was already inside when he regained his senses. He froze in the doorway, uncertain about what in the hell he was supposed to do next. He was a failure, a complete fuck-up, who had no business pretending to be any different.

"Are you coming in, or did you change your mind?" Byakuya said without looking up.

He realized suddenly that just hearing Byakuya's voice spurred him into action…like the good, obedient little dog he was. He felt himself deflate inside as that strong presence wrapped around him again.

_Why in the hell do I do that? Why do I react like that? Like every time I even breathe in his presence, I'm doing something wrong…_

"You came back quickly. I am surprised. I would have thought that you would spend more time with Rukia."

_Why?_

_All she ever freaking does is insult me._

"She said that she needed some time to think privately."

"Ah, I see."

He dropped into his chair and picked up the first of the reports on his desk. His mind registered each word on the page, but the meaning of all of the words put together escaped him as he kept hearing Rukia's words repeating in his head. He felt Byakuya's eyes touch him briefly, questioningly, but the noble said nothing. Yet even so, Renji felt heat on his cheeks and wondered what he had done that had attracted the noble's attention. He focused harder on the page, then just signed off on it and dropped it in the outbox and picked up another.

"Is something wrong?" Byakuya asked.

_Oh shit…what now? What did I do? How did he…?_

"Renji?"

"Huh? Sorry Taichou. I was reading. What was that?" he asked absently.

"You have been staring at the same page for five minutes and your reiatsu is riled. So I asked if something is bothering you."

"Oh…not really. It's nothing."

Byakuya looked down at his desk for a moment, as though trying to decide what to do, then he looked back up at the redhead.

"Go," he said quietly, "Go home, Renji."

"What?" Renji asked, frowning, "Why?"

Byakuya blinked slowly.

"You are unfocused and unlikely to accomplish anything in your current state. It would be better for you to leave and come back when you have dealt with whatever is troubling you."

"But…"

"Go."

Renji let out a heated breath and rose.

"Would you like a cup of tea before I…?"

"I said, leave."

"Hai, Taichou," Renji said, anger burning beneath the words.

His reiatsu flaring hotly, he grabbed Zabimaru and left the sixth division.

_I don't know what his fucking problem is! I would've finished everything eventually. And it's not like that stack of stupid useless papers will disappear while I'm gone. It'll just grow bigger and bigger. Not like he'd actually show a little mercy and see to any of it himself…or god forbid, let the third seat do some. No. He'll leave it for me and I'll be in that damned office for two days straight to catch up! How am I supposed to focus on what's wrong, knowing that mess is waiting for me? I'm going have to neglect my training to catch up. But maybe he thinks it doesn't matter. Maybe he knows that training me is like pissing on a fucking firestorm…useless…waste of effort_.

His eye registered the open door of the pub around the corner from the sixth division and he walked inside and sat down at the corner table. Everyone he knew was still working except for Rukia, who was off licking her wounds.

_But the wounds she has are at least notable. She got them fighting hard and accomplishing something. She killed an Espada. What did I do? What did I really accomplish in Hueco Mundo? Going for the record for being knocked senseless the most? Flashy techniques that accomplished little more than delaying the inevitable? Shit…_

The bartender smiled and set his favorite drink in front of him and the redhead emptied the glass and nodded for the man to bring him another. The bartender gave him a sympathetic smile and brought him two more. He drank them more slowly, cognizant of the fact that there was no one to carry his sorry ass back to his apartment if he lost consciousness. He leaned back against the wall and tried to lose himself in the music that was playing.

_This is useless. Sitting here, getting drunk, isn't going to make me stronger. Neither is going back to that stupid office and burying myself in paperwork. But what can I do? What the hell can I do?_

He glanced down at Zabimaru and thought back to the times when he had felt most driven, where he had improved by leaps and bounds until finally, he reached ban kai. But since then, his resolve had faded. He still knew he needed to be stronger. He still fought to protect. But he spent more time handling other things, making schedules, filing reports and working to help other shinigamis excel. But he had ceased to push himself the way he had before…

"Is Zaraki taichou back yet?" someone asked from nearby.

"No," said another voice, "He's still out in Hueco Mundo somewhere, kicking the shit out of every hollow he can find. That's his punishment for losing his haori there."

_Lucky bastard…he'll probably come back even more badass than he already was. That's a punishment? Huh…wish I had that punishment_…

Renji froze with his glass raised to his lips. He caught his breath at the thought that went through his head and almost discarded it immediately.

_Get real! I'd probably get thrown in the brig and demoted, knowing my luck. Unapproved trip to Hueco Mundo? Going AWOL? Even if it did make me stronger, I would…_

He felt Zabimaru flaring softly at the idea.

"Shut up," he muttered softly, "We'd get court-martialed. They'd probably throw me into the maggot's nest and forget I exist."

_You call this existing?_ complained Snakey, _Ever since we came back, you've just been sulking about Kurosaki losing his powers._

"Well, it was kinda hard to overlook it while it was happening in front of me," Renji said, frowning and finishing off his drink, "You bastards would realize that if you had half a brain…"

He shut their voices out of his mind and got up to pay his bill. He left the pub and walked slowly back to his apartment, but as he started to climb the steps, the weight he carried seemed to grow heavier and heavier until he stopped on a landing and leaned his back against the wall, unbidden tears coming to his eyes.

_What's wrong with me?_

_It's like there's this big, stupid wall inside me that I keep trying, but just can't break through._

_What the hell will it take?_

_What do I have to do?_

He stood alone in the stairwell, his eyes locked sightlessly on a place in front of him and his heart in shambles.

_What am I going to do?_

_How do I fix this?_

_Hell, I don't even know what's been broken…_

But, he realized, something had indeed broken inside him, and it was the shattering of that part of him that set his feet into motion. Before he quite realized what was happening, his feet were in motion. He flashed stepped wildly, not even thinking about where he was going. He barely remembered passing through the precipice world and flying across the park, then turning towards Urahara's shop. He blew in through the doors, ignoring Jinta when the kid shouted, "Hey Moocher! Where do you think you're going?"

The shop disappeared and he dropped down into the training room, which still seemed to bear traces of Ichigo's reiatsu. With tears rising in his eyes, he activated Kisuke's garganta and ran blindly through the underground cavern, his reiatsu flaring wildly around him. He dropped down onto the cold, dark sands, his zanpakutou in his hand and blazing with power. He turned in the direction of the strongest hollow reiatsu he could sense with his limited capacity and flash stepped in that direction, not even trying to hide his presence.

Back in the Seireitei, Byakuya's head lifted suddenly and the frown on his lips deepened.

"Renji…" he mouthed almost soundlessly.


	2. Red Sand

**Chapter 2: Red Sand**

Byakuya slipped a pack over his shoulder and summoned a hell butterfly, pausing to consider his words carefully before speaking to it.

"Yamamoto Soutaichou, after giving much consideration to your wise words following our return from Hueco Mundo after Sousuke Aizen's capture, I have returned to Las Noches to retrieve my haori. As per order your order not to enter Hueco Mundo without proper escort, I am accompanied by my vice captain. Squad Six has been fully briefed and will continue home duty until our return.

He watched the butterfly float away, then opened a family senkaimon and entered the precipice world. As he passed through the oddly quiet passageway, his mind replayed what he had witnessed as Ichigo's powers had faded.

I sensed that all was not well with Renji. It's not as though he has ever excelled at concealing his emotions. He tried, for Rukia's sake, but there is something deeper affecting him. He really hasn't been the same since we returned from Hueco Mundo. Of course, all of us were affected by what happened in that place. I think no one was left unscathed.

He sighed softly in resignation of the fact and flash stepped down into the park near Urahara Kisuke's shop. He slowed and walked the rest of the way, enjoying the last of the sun's warmth that he would see for quite some time. And despite how enchanting he found the moon and stars to be, he didn't relish spending time in that dark world. Too much time in that place wore on the soul…and with Renji already out of sorts and acting out, it made an already less than pleasing situation even more distasteful.

"Good afternoon, Kuchiki taichou," said Kisuke as Byakuya entered the shop, "I have everything prepared as per your hell butterfly…although the last part threw me for a bit of a loop. You know, if Soutaichou…"

"Arigato, Urahara-san," Byakuya said shortly, as Kisuke handed him several items, which Byakuya stored in his pack.

Byakuya zipped the pack shut, then looked up at Kisuke.

"Where is he?"

Kisuke nodded to the kitchen doorway, where a tall, cloaked figure stood waiting.

"He's a real masterpiece," said Kisuke, "but I have to tell you that the technology isn't perfect, so be a little cautious."

"I remember," Byakuya said dryly.

He and the cloak man turned and followed Kisuke down into the training room. They waited quietly as the shopkeeper prepared the garganta for their passage.

"You sure about this?" Kisuke asked, glancing at Byakuya as he worked, "I mean, ever since Aizen's fall, the place has been in chaos. You'll probably have to fight your way in and out…so conserve a little energy, if you know what I mean."

"That is why _he_ is coming along," the noble said tightening his lips in annoyance, "However, I do not think that my fukutaichou thought ahead. He will have been fighting for some time."

"Not so much of an issue in the area he came down in," said Kisuke, "but if he moves in the direction of Las Noches, there are still Arrancars that are strong enough and smart enough to trouble him. Then there are the…"

"I am aware of the dangers, Urahara-san," Byakuya said quietly.

"Okay, then. Almost ready," Kisuke said as power flared around his hands and the doorway began to open, "Hey, uh, I was kinda curious. How did you get permission to go back? I know the old man sent Zaraki back as punishment, but otherwise, access has been pretty restricted. You didn't tell them that Renji went there alone, ne?"

"Of course not," Byakuya said in a low voice, "If he had survived, he would have been immediately court-martialed and thrown into the Maggot's Nest. And you know we would never have seen him again. I don't think that Soutaichou appreciates the nuances of my fukutaichou's behavior. I cannot say I stand in full appreciation, but…"

"He has heart," Kisuke said, smiling, "and some balls, to go off on his own like that in Hueco Mundo, the way it is now. He's gotten a lot stronger."

"He has," Byakuya agreed solemnly, "However, I do not believe that his reasons for going had anything to do with either proving himself or making himself stronger. He was concealing his emotions to assist Rukia in coping and neglected himself in the process. Apparently, unlike my sister, he lacked someone to be there to listen and provide comfort."

Kisuke smirked.

"Is that why you're covering for him, Kuchiki-san? You have a soft spot for him? You're going to comfort him while he knocks the stuffing out of a thousand hollows to prove to himself he's not the fuck up he thinks he is?"

"I am not one that functions well as 'a shoulder to cry on,'" Byakuya said, frowning.

"No," said Kisuke, looking amused, "Judging by the stuff you're taking, you're either going to punish him severely for running off, or you're going to forcefully knock some sense back into him."

"Or perhaps both," said Byakuya, his lips curving upward slightly as he set the hood of his own cloak in place and entered the garganta with the other man on his heels.

They left Kisuke behind, grinning and shaking his head, and raced through the underground cavern, flash stepping along a crystalline path of Byakuya's reiatsu. As they ran, he glanced back at his companion.

"You understand what is expected of you?" he asked quietly.

The other man nodded and continued to follow as they crossed over into the dark desert and dropped down onto the cold sands. A soft chill went through the noble as he immediately heard the sounds of hollows in the area. The ability level wasn't high, but there were enough of them that they were not likely to be warned off by his reiatsu. He had just a moment to sense Renji's direction and to confirm to himself that the redhead was alive and fighting, then the first wave of hollows closed in and he and his companion took fighting stances and sent heavy kido blasts into the approaching mob.

_Renji seems to have come in here with his reiatsu flaring like a beacon, _thought the noble as the first wave fell and another rose up and attacked, _I wasn't trying to conceal myself, but I wasn't advertising my entry either, and yet so many have attacked. I am surprised that he…_

His thoughts were interrupted by a throng of giant, winged hollows that swept over them, reaching down with sharp talons to grab at them. Byakuya and his companion flash stepped out of range, Byakuya taking higher ground and focusing on the flighted hollows while the other man drew his blade and attacked the hollows on the desert floor. Their ears rang with the screeches of attacking and dying hollows, and after several waves of attacks, the two switched, allowing the other to rest his arms and provide kido support as Byakuya drew his weapon and fought hand to hand. A handful of hollows fell with each swing, but the number never seemed to decrease, and finally, Byakuya loosed his shikai and swept the entire area with petal blades. His companion finished off the survivors with carefully placed kido attacks, then flash stepped down to land lightly next to the noble. He made a sound of surprise as he spotted a splash of blood on Byakuya's side.

"You are injured," he said quietly, "You should allow me to heal…"

"Let's go," Byakuya said, flash stepping forward.

He didn't trust how quiet the area had become in the wake of their victory.

The stronger ones were holding back, watching as we fought and looking for liabilities. They will follow and look for a clear opening.

Not that we'll give them one…

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji loosed a hail of red fire blasts, rolling to his feet instantly as he was brought down by his own exploding kido.

"Damn it!" he yelled, releasing another heavy kido blast, "Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!"

He swung his blade and Zabimaru's segmented length extended, slashing hollows both coming and going before returning to its ready position. He flash stepped into a large group of hollows, slipping seamlessly out of shikai and moving into a dance of brutally fast steps, swinging his sword and killing several hollows with every move. He felt blood running freely on his skin and ignored it, his mind locked in battle as his hair tore free of the hair tie he wore and began to flutter wildly in the sharp, cold wind.

He felt himself going out of control, but was so tired of holding back, he loosed everything in a blinding explosion of fire, sword slashes and howling cries. If he had been in his right mind, he would have been afraid when his mind disappeared into the pain…the pain of being lesser, the pain of being disrespected, held back, pushed down and stepped on.

"TAKE THAT, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!" he screamed, releasing a huge kido blast that exploded too early and left scorch marks on his skin, "YOU SMALL FRY AREN'T WORTH MY GODDAMNED TIME! GET OUTTA THE WAY!"

His ban kai erupted from his blade without him even thinking to release it, and the skeletal snake rose up, flying forward, then turning in a huge, sweeping circle and vaporizing hundreds of the hollows that had surrounded him. He screamed unintelligibly now, loosing heavy blasts of kido and raking the hollows with the skeletal snake's fiery release. So heavy were the flames around him that he felt his clothes singeing and melting on his tormented flesh. But he was beyond reining his own power in. Red reiatsu boiled out of him, flashing fitfully and beginning to consume him.

He could see several Arrancars standing in the distance, wearing curious looks as they watched him come apart at the seams. He launched himself at them, leading with the skeletal snake and following with his strained body and slashing sword. He left two of them in bloody pools, then started taking hits. And between their slashing claws and the blazing of his own destructive power, he felt his body begin to buckle under the pressure and his reiatsu destabilized. The remaining Arrancars read his imminent demise and used their sonido to move out of range.

Renji screamed in pain now as the reiatsu raged inside him, a volcanic rapture that threatened to break him apart. Redness erupted all around him now, circling him and closing him off from everything. He breathed the fire in, unable anymore to see or hear, to do anything to protect himself. But it didn't matter. He was dying, and he knew it. And as his life force boiled and began to seep out of him, his mind was assaulted with all of the barbs that had touched him over the years.

_"This is Abarai Renji we're talking about! Abarai, the big bad 'gonna be a badass someday, but right now usually ends up on his ass, Renji!'" _hissed Rukia's voice.

_xxx_

_"Not like you could ever be anywhere near as strong as he…" _she went on, relentlessly.

_xxx_

"Moocher!" added Jinta's voice.

_xxx_

"Useless!" screamed an Inuzuri vendor.

_xxx_

"Idiot!" Rukia yelled.

_xxx_

He descended into a living nightmare of epithets and insults, barbs and jabs. He had been able to swallow them one-by-one, day-by-day, but streaming through his mind one after another like that quickly became unbearable. He fell on the ground, his reiatsu exploding around him, burning him as he sank beneath the weight of his own inadequacies, his unattained goals, his shattered dreams, and his broken heart. He could hear himself crying and howling uncontrollably as the fire burned all around him and was inwardly relieved when the pain began to leave him and everything started to fade away.

He opened his eyes and found that he was lying on his back and looking up at the sky. Something was making the Arrancars scatter and flee, but he didn't know what. It might have been his out of control reiatsu, but it seemed that the red light around him had suddenly gone pink. He was sure he must have died and left Hueco Mundo, because the pink swelled around him, encircling him and closing in, lighting everything up and making his body glow.

He felt someone approach and scented sakura on the breeze.

It's him…great.

_He'll probably finish me off…after he tells me how worthless I am._

_Why the hell couldn't I have died before he showed up?_

_It figures._

_I can't even die right!_

_Damn!_

A dark, cloaked form shattered the reiatsu around him, and Renji sighed in relief as the cold, night air touched his burned skin. A pale hand touched his wrist, sealing his reiatsu away, then reached up and removed the hood that covered the man's face. Renji stared up into the dark gray eyes that gazed down at his blood drenched face and body with unusual concern.

"Are you quite finished, Abarai?" he mused, "You nearly killed yourself, along with all of those hollows."

"Well," Renji panted, tasting blood in his mouth, "At least I killed them."

"Hmmm."

"Don't say it," Renji said in a low, defeated voice, "You're disappointed. I should have known better. I should have thought of the consequences. I fully deserve the court-martial that I'm going to get when we get home."

"Why would you be court-martialed?" asked the noble calmly.

"Wh-what?" asked Renji, squinting up at him, "Taichou, did you miss the part where I took off and entered Hueco Mundo without permission? Abandoned my post? Neglected my duties?"

"I do not recall any such thing," Byakuya said matter-of-factly, "_We_ left the Seireitei on a fully authorized mission. Soutaichou himself said that I should return here and I was required to bring another officer with me."

"Whoa…huh? Soutaichou told you to…? What?" Renji sputtered, trying to sit up, then falling back, gripping his aching head, "Ow!"

"Be quiet, Abarai. We need to try to _avoid_ attracting any further attention."

Healing power flared softly around the noble's hands, and Renji felt another surge of relief as the pain in his head faded. Byakuya dragged him to his feet and held him steady, angling them towards a cluster of rocks. Amidst the rocks, they spotted a cave and slipped inside. Byakuya raised a reiatsu cage to conceal them as they rested, then ordered the redhead down onto his back and leaned over him, his healing power coming to life again.

"You are a mess, Renji," the noble commented, frowning as he continued to heal the redhead, "I think if it had taken five more minutes to reach you, you would have either bled out or your own reiatsu would have consumed you. I feel compelled to ask…Were you _trying_ to kill yourself?"

Renji let out a defeated sigh.

"Honestly…" he said softly, "I don't know what the fuck I was doing, Taichou. I was just…tired..."

"You were _tired_?" Byakuya repeated questioningly.

"Yeah," the redhead said, closing his eyes, "I'm tired from fighting so hard and never getting anywhere."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Taichou," said Renji, an edge of sarcasm in his voice, "You know what I mean. I have busted my ass, trying to get better and stronger…for my friends in Inuzuri, for Rukia, for Orihime. But no matter how hard I tried or what new things I learned…when push came to shove, I wasn't strong enough to save anybody…not even myself."

"But you are still alive and breathing, ne?" Byakuya said quietly.

"So?"

"So…if you alive, and you are able to draw breath, then you have no excuse to give up."

"Huh…" Renji huffed, looking at him through narrowed eyes, "I thought that you were the one who said that I would never touch the moon…that my fangs would never reach you."

"I also said that you would never get me down on one knee. You did that. And you did also reach me with your fangs. Renji, you have merely lost focus because of your emotional nature and the events of the recent past. You need to regain balance."

"And you came here to what? Watch and laugh? Criticize my every move? I'll save you the trouble, Taichou. I'm not worth it."

Byakuya went silent for a moment, his gray eyes glinting like dark firelit coals.

"You once criticized me for lacking interest in the development of my subordinates," he said, meeting the slitted, red-brown eyes, "And as much as it annoyed me at the time, I have since come to see how better adherence to the training of my officers would be a good cautionary strategy."

His lips curved into a soft smirk.

"It would, at least, give me an idea of which officers might attempt to attack me at some point."

Renji couldn't quite hide the unbidden tightening of his lips into an almost smile.

"So…what? You're here to help me train?" he asked with an edge of sarcasm.

"I am on a mission for Soutaichou," said the noble, narrowing his eyes, "but while we are here, we will certainly not neglect our training."

Renji shook his head and sighed.

"Suit yourself," he said in a half-hearted tone, "but I defy you to do any better with what you see here. I've had it all my life and can't do a thing with it!"

Byakuya found himself dangerously close to smiling.

"We shall see, I suppose," he said blithely.

Renji looked up at him with a tired, but quizzical expression.

"Taichou?"

"Hmmm?"

"Um…What's the mission?"

"Hmmm?" said Byakuya, frowning as he continued to work at Renji's healing.

"The mission for Soutaichou?"

"Oh," said the noble, "Soutaichou said that by all rights he should force us to 'return to that hellhole to find what we left behind.'"

"Huh?"

"I came to retrieve my haori."


	3. The Sentry

**Chapter 3: The Sentry**

_"Taicho?"_

_"Hmmm?"_

_"Um…What's the mission?"_

_"Hmmm?" said Byakuya, frowning as he continued to work at Renji's healing._

_"The mission for Soutaicho?"_

_"Oh," said the noble, "Soutaicho said that by all rights he should force us to 'return to that hellhole to find what we left behind.'"_

_"Huh?"_

_"I came to retrieve my haori."_

"You came to…find your haori?" Renji mused, sitting up and earning a stern glare from the noble, "You're shitting me, ne?"

"I wouldn't put it in such vulgar terms," said the noble, "I simply decided that, considering Soutaicho's passionate outburst over that cheap piece of cloth, it was best to placate his strong desire to see it again."

"And it had absolutely nothing to do with me, of course…" Renji said skeptically.

"It was _my_ desire to locate you, as my mission allowed, of course…and to attempt to talk some sense into you. Truly, what possessed you to leave like that? Did you give any consideration at all to what you were doing, Abarai? To the consequences?"

Renji sighed, feeling oddly warmed by the light touches of the noble's hands on his aching body and the gentle throb of healing reiatsu flowing from Byakuya into his tattered form. He studied the noble for a moment, sensing something strangely familiar, but at the same time unfamiliar.

"To be honest?" Renji said, looking at Byakuya more closely, "I did think about those things for like a second or two. I knew I'd probably die here…and if I didn't, then if I ever went back, I'd be court-martialed. And if you ever caught up with me, you'd make sure I paid twice what was due…"

He trailed off as Byakuya's dark gray eyes fixed on him.

"What?" he asked, frowning, "Did I say something wrong?"

"I was entertaining the notion that it seemed interesting to me how in considering your actions, you focused on how your leaving would affect you. However, since you seem to have forgotten, I'll make it my task to remind you that there are others who would pay the consequences as well if you died…or were court-martialed and sent to the maggot's nest."

Guilt erupted onto Renji's face and he closed his eyes against the realization.

"Shit…" he muttered, "That's why you came…and why you didn't kill me on sight. You're talking about Rukia, right?"

He gave a frustrated sigh and shook his head.

"Rukia doesn't need me, Taicho. I don't even think she's speaking to me right now."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed and Renji felt a chill pass through him.

"I was speaking about my sister, in part, but she is not the only one I am referring to," the noble said, leaning closer to examine a particularly deep cut, "Did you forget that our squad has only recently returned from a war in which our forces were essentially neutralized and we were forced to rely on a banished taicho and a human to bring down our enemy? How do you imagine that the members of our squad feel about our leadership now, Renji?"

"Shit…" muttered the redhead, "Is it that bad? I didn't even notice. Sorry, Taicho, I shouldn't have let myself become so distracted…"

"You also did not appear to notice Rikichi, whom you have been training personally to qualify for a seat in the next round of promotions. Of course, he looks up to you, and wouldn't say anything, especially having noticed how out of sorts you were."

"You're right," Renji said, his voice lowering in defeat, "I was being selfish. Again, I am sorry, Taicho."

"It is not me who you should be apologizing to, Renji. I am your superior officer and I will discipline you…privately of course, so that I will not have to go to the effort of searching for an equally qualified fukutaicho to replace you. But…"

"Fine…" Renji sighed, "I'll go back and apologize to Rukia and Rikichi, and I'll help you to bolster confidence in our squad."

"You will do no such thing."

"What?" Renji said, looking confused again.

"What good do you think it will do for me to return to the Seireitei with you 'heeling' at my side like a defeated puppy and offering apologies. It will not solve anything. As I see it, Renji, the only course of action I have, right now, is to take the meandering wreck I see in front of me and to find a way to turn it back into the fukutaicho I possessed before all of this happened."

"But Taicho, don't you get it?" Renji asked, clenching his teeth, "I don't want to _be_ that guy anymore! I'm sick to death of being a pathetic dog, always nipping at your heels. But it's not like I have a lot of choice. I have watched you closely for years, learned every move you make, learned a shitload of new skills, and I've improved my ban kai since we fought. But that didn't change a fucking _thing_ when we came to Hueco Mundo! Sure, I had a lot of ideas and made some impressive moves, but I didn't beat anyone…just shit fighters that didn't even have a sword release! I had to have my ass saved by everyone else, and then get myself put back together, just to get knocked on my ass again. Now you _tell_ me why the fuck I should want to go back to being _that guy_!"

"I think the answer is obvious," the noble said sedately, "And you, of all people should see it. But since you are choosing not to, I shall spell it out for you. I would rather have a dog who watches me every moment, who works until he can barely stand trying to get stronger, and who takes every beating as another step towards becoming stronger…and _never_ gives up, to a sniveling, weeping fool who runs recklessly to bring about his own death!"

The noble's words cracked through Renji's mind like a bolt of lightning. His eyes flared and his hand reached for his zanpakuto.

"Bastard!" he hissed, tearing the weapon from its sheath.

Almost faster than the eye could see, Byakuya leapt to his feet and aimed a kick at the oncoming redhead. Renji used his hands to absorb the shock and avoided injury, but was forced out of the cage as it suddenly shattered around them. He rolled to his feet and held his weapon ready, his eye reading Byakuya's flash step and instantly blocking his senka. Before he could speak, the noble loosed a flurry of lightning fast sword slashes, interspersed with blazing fast hakudo strikes and kicks. Renji blocked and absorbed the moves but found himself quickly giving ground as his taicho continued the relentless assault.

"Don't just stand there and let me hit you!" hissed Byakuya, "Evade."

"What?" cried Renji, flash stepping out of the reach of his slashing sword, "I can't move that fast! You know…"

"Then I will knock you unconscious and when you wake up, we will try it again," the noble said, sheathing and removing his sword.

He let the weapon drop to the sand, then flash stepped at Renji, loosing a heavy barrage of strikes and kicks. The redhead dodged the first few, then took a glancing blow and was thrown off balance. Before he could recover, Byakuya's foot struck him in the midsection, throwing him off his feet. He rolled to his feet, already sensing the incoming attack and struck the noble, throwing his body off balance and kicking at him, then flash stepping after him and attacking. Byakuya blocked the incoming strike, and the two men moved into a dizzying array of strikes and kicks. Again, Renji dodged the first several strikes, then was struck by a well-placed kick that threw him ass over teakettle across the dark sands. The redhead crashed to the ground and wanted to stay there, but moved as he sensed Byakuya's body coming in with another assault. The exchange that followed mirrored the first, but Renji gave an annoyed growl noting that he was giving too much ground again. He stepped back and heard an odd click.

"Oh fuck…" he muttered, as he realized what the sound was.

He flash stepped away as a kido blast erupted from the sand.

"What the _hell_?" he yelled, "When the hell did you have time to lay traps?"

"You had best stand firmer," said the noble in a low, warning voice, "If you continue to allow me to move you so far, those charges will knock you out. If you do not evade my moves, then _I_ will knock you out."

"Yeah, and knowing my luck, I'll just do something stupid and knock myself out," groaned the redhead, "Look, Taicho, please, can we have a scenario in which I _don't_ get knocked out?"

"If you do not want to get knocked unconscious, I suggest you knock me out first," the noble said, frowning.

"Right," Renji said, rolling his eyes as Byakuya flash stepped towards him.

He barely evaded the strike and flash stepped away, but the noble was back at him in a flash step, and continued to strike at him from every imaginable angle at faster and faster speeds. He wanted to drop down on the sand, to just tell Byakuya that he was aware enough of how ridiculously awful his skills were, but something in his taicho's behavior warned him that he didn't dare stop. So he stayed on his feet until he just couldn't block the noble anymore.

Byakuya took him off his feet and he crashed down into the sand and remained there, panting and shaking as Byakuya landed lightly next to him. He had the momentary solace of seeing that the noble was breathing hard too, then Byakuya's foot connected with him and sent him plunging into darkness.

"Perhaps you should just give him a finishing blow," suggested the cloaked man, flash stepping in as Renji lost consciousness.

"Reset the kido charges," Byakuya said shortly, lifting Renji and holding him over a shoulder, "And stand guard after that. Nothing is to interfere with our training."

He bent to pick up Senbonzakura, then carried Renji into the cave and raised a new reiatsu cage to protect them. He laid the redhead down on the ground, then dug around in his pack until he found a small jar of healing salve he had gotten from Kisuke. He carefully removed Renji's clothes and examined him from head to toe for injuries. A touch of the salve made each wound disappear instantly. When all of his wounds were gone, the noble leaned over him, laying his hands on the redhead's chest and quickly restoring his depleted reiatsu. He finished the infusion, then remained on his knees, looking down at his unconscious fukutaicho's perfectly tanned and beautifully tattooed body. He had seen Renji without clothes on a few occasions at the hot springs, but had never seen the lovely patterns up so close before. Renji stirred and Byakuya felt a flush rising on his cheeks. He quickly dressed the redhead in a sleeping yukata and turned away.

He withdrew two cups from the pack, and then a bag of restorative tea. He filled the cups with water, then added the tea and warmed it with a kido spell. He returned to Renji's side and leaned over him again. Noting that the redhead remained asleep, he contemplated for a moment, then quietly opened the redhead's yukata again. He focused deeply, then raised his reiatsu until the cage they were inside rumbled with the power. He placed a hand on Renji's bared chest, then slowly located each of his spirit centers and fed them a small amount of his own life force. It was an outlawed method, deemed unsafe because the donor might mistakenly give too much and deplete himself. Byakuya carefully managed the amount he yielded, then stopped and gave the redhead a final infusion of normal reiatsu. When he was finished, he stole one more long look at his fukutaicho's beautifully sculpted and decorated body, then closed his yukata again and laid down to rest to allow his life force to begin to restore itself.

_That will quicken his flash step and his evasive movements. And hopefully, when he is able to keep up with me longer, his own confidence will keep him performing at that improved rate, even after the effect of the life force infusion wears off._

He turned his head so that he could see where the moonlight fell across Renji's sleeping face, then looked past him to the stars and crescent moon outside. His eyes blinked slowly, several times before he dropped off to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji awoke several hours later and found Byakuya in a deep sleep next to him. He sat up and stretched experimentally, expecting that after several rounds of hakudo attacks and being knocked unconscious, he should at least hurt somewhere. But to his surprise, he felt no pain. If anything, he felt better than he had before. He looked around briefly and spotted the salve and tea beside Byakuya's pack. But even then, it struck him as odd that the noble would have taken the time to heal and restore him so thoroughly.

_It's probably because of where we are, _he thought to himself, _There are roaming mobs of hollows all over the place. We could be attacked at any time…_

He was distracted out of his thoughts by the sounds of a battle going on nearby. He looked out of the cage and through the front of the cave that Byakuya had placed the reiatsu cage in. A lone form stood on the sands outside their camp, blasting a large group of hollows with repeated rounds of kido.

"Shit," Renji muttered, "I wonder who _that_ is…"

He watched for a moment longer and spotted a stronger group of Arrancars approaching. He left Byakuya sleeping and slipped back into his shihakushou, then passed through the cage's shielding and moved into the rocks near the cloaked fighter. Hollows had nearly surrounded him, even as he loosed huge blasts of kido and moved quickly enough to avoid their slashing claws. Renji climbed silently to the top of the rocks and slipped his sword free of its sheath.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" he cried sending the blade into shikai and raking the horde of hollows on one side of the fighter.

The cloaked man peeked back at him from beneath the dark hood, then flash stepped away as the hollows turned their attention on Renji.

"Nice…" he muttered, shaking his head, "Bankai, hihio Zabimaru."

The skeletal snake roared to life and curled around him, blocking a blast of incoming ceros. As the blasts gave way to the sounds of the hollows closing in, the redhead sent the skeletal snake flying forward.

"Hikotsu taihou!" he shouted, loosing the full strength of his ban kai.

Renji stared in astonishment as his bankai flared brighter than it ever had before. It swallowed up the group of hollows completely and left the sand scorched.

"Damn," he breathed, "What _was_ that?"

"That was a glimpse of your true potential," Byakuya's voice said quietly from behind him, "You and Zabimaru have advanced in power. Now more things are possible."

He stopped speaking and turned to look out into the darkness as fresh howls and grating cries rose up around them. Instantly, Byakuya's weapon appeared in his hand and the two attacked the incoming hollows.

_I cannot release my zanpakuto or use kido, _Byakuya realized,_ It hasn't been long enough since the life force infusion._

He flash stepped forward, slicing into the group of hollows and taking out several of the weaker ones, then evaded several sets of slashing claws and a blaze of oncoming ceros. He felt the swell of Renji's reiatsu and watched out of the corner of his eye as the skeletal snake pounded the hollows, destroying whole groups at a time, recoiling and loosing itself on them again. His eye strayed to Renji's tall form, where he stood on a small rise, his eyes blazing with power and his skeletal snake destroying everything in its path.

Beautiful…

"You need to pay better attention, shinigami!" said an Arrancar, who had used his sonido to move in on Byakuya's blind side.

The noble caught his breath as the Arrancar released a cero at point blank range. His eyes widened, knowing that in his reduced state, he couldn't move fast enough. At the last moment, the skeletal snake curled around him, locking him safely away from the hollow's attack. He heard a hard exchange of kido and cero, then the skeletal snake uncurled and shot after the retreating horde.

"That oughta teach them a thing or two," Renji said, grinning.

He turned his head to look at Byakuya.

"Something wrong with your flash step, Taicho?" he asked softly, "That Arrancar almost fried you."

"No," Byakuya answered, "I was seeing if you had regained an awareness of the others around you. Fortunately, it looks as though you have."

Renji followed as Byakuya turned and walked through the barrier into the reiatsu cage.

"Why did you out there alone?" Byakuya asked as they moved inside and knelt on the ground inside the cage, "We were safe enough within the reiatsu cage."

"There was…someone out there, getting attacked…some guy wearing a cloak. I didn't get a good look at him. They were attacking him and I went out to give him a hand."

"A perfect stranger? In enemy territory?" Byakuya asked.

"Hey…he was being attacked."

"That is his job," said Byakuya, pouring water into cups for their tea.

"What?" asked Renji, frowning.

"That man is our sentry…our bodyguard while we train. It will give us time to rest between training sessions and he can train with you when I am otherwise engaged."

"Oh…he came with you?"

"Yes, just ignore him…unless he attacks you."

"Then what do I do?"

Byakuya shrugged and sent a shock of kido into the teacups.

"Kill him…_if you can_."


	4. Stranger with a Face Like Mine

**Chapter 4: Stranger with a Face Like Mine**

Byakuya woke before Renji, and took a moment to examine his deeply sleeping subordinate. He showed no sign of injury and seemed to be functioning at the full strength of his reiatsu. The noble sighed softly, thankful that the redhead would not require another life force infusion. He hadn't fully recovered from the first, so to take on a second would have been reckless.

He slipped outside and spotted the sentry. The cloaked man gazed at him from under his hood and his lips frowned.

"Do you wish to switch places now?" he asked, "You depleted yourself, and could do with rest, but as the hollows have left off for the time being, guard duty is almost unnecessary."

"Still, we are in enemy territory and will remain vigilant," said Byakuya, "As much as you are, by nature, somewhat more arrogant than I am, I won't have you endangering us with your negligence."

"Do not concern yourself," the other said blithely, "Nothing will disturb your training."

Byakuya nodded.

"I will need your assistance in pushing his reflex speed to its maximum.," said the noble, "but I do not want him to become aware of your identity just yet, so attend to it with some degree of caution."

"Of course."

Byakuya walked back into the cave and knelt next to Renji. He deepened the redhead's sleep and read his reiatsu closely to determine the exact parameters of his strength.

_We will be pushing to the extremes from here, so he needs to be at full capacity. He is still being affected by the infusion of my reiatsu, so he will be performing at his peak throughout our training..._

Renji stirred softly, rolled over and began to snore contentedly. Byakuya picked up Zabimaru and set the weapon across his lap. He drew Senbonzakura and touched the tip of the blade to the hilt of Renji's sword, calling on the spirit in his own blade to feed the core of the other. He felt weariness steal over him as he completed the technique and his reiatsu fluttered slightly.

_He has gained significant power, but what concerns me is the strength of his heart. He is worn from all he has been through...as are we all. What he needs is not something I can give him, but something he has to find in himself. Rukia would be more adept at assisting him in this. My gifts are related to strategy, psychology and executions of power. My own heart is strong, but I do not know so well how to help another find that strength in himself. It takes time, focus...and the right set of challenges, but life is better at providing those challenges than any man could be._

He sighed softly, closing his eyes and running his hands over his face. When he looked back at Renji, he noticed that the redhead had shifted again, and his yukata had opened...and was enticing him with another lovely view of the man's tattoos. Byakuya blinked, blushing at the odd twinge he felt inside as he also noticed that the redhead was aroused.

_I wonder what he is dreaming about._

He caught himself and pushed the thought away forcefully.

_It is just because I infused him with my life force. It sometimes creates an emotive connection. _

Still, he couldn't help but steal glances out of the corner of his eye as he prepared and drank a cup of restorative tea, then settled down near Renji to try to sleep. But given the redhead's closeness, the touch of his scent in the air, and the peacefulness in his face as he dreamed, he couldn't make his eyes close. So instead, he focused on the pattern of black markings that teased him from beneath Renji's partially opened yukata.

He was somewhat shocked to find that he was becoming aroused too. But as shocked as he was with his own body's response to the redhead, he was completely stunned when Renji turned in his sleep and curled and arm around the noble's waist and pulled him close, curling that strong, wonderfully scented body into close contact with his. And the words and warm breath that tickled his ear a moment later left him reeling.

"I won't let you be hurt anymore, Taicho."

An odd feeling passed over Kuchiki Byakuya as he rested quietly in Renji's protective arms.

_I feel safe here._

_I wasn't aware of how good it feels to be protected. I protect others all of the time. But being that I must not fail to exude strength, it is rare that I seek protection, myself._

_But...protectiveness is the core of this man's strength. His heart is troubled because he feels that when he was here before, he failed to protect Rukia. It is not true, of course. But Renji is harder on himself than I am._

_But how do I put him in touch with that protective side?_

The thought continued to nag at him as the warmth and comfort of the tea, and of being close to Renji overcame him before he could make himself pull away. And when Renji rolled onto his back, the noble turned easily in half sleep and settled on his shoulder with Renji's arm still curled around him.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Renji found himself suddenly alone on the top of a lonely sand dune, looking down on the bloodied body of a collapsed shinigami. His broken sword remained clenched in one pale hand and blood flowed from his nose and mouth, running down the porcelain cheek, then into the tumbled strands of his raven black hair._

_"Oh no..." Renji whispered, dropping onto his knees and pulling the man close, "Taicho! Taicho, wake up! Come on!"_

_Byakuya stirred and managed a soft groan, then quivered and lost consciousness again._

_"Damn it! Who did this to you?"_

_A cloaked figure stood solemnly on a nearby hill, watching. Renji glared up at him._

_"You were supposed to be our sentry!" he shouted, "He trusted you to protect him! But look at him!"_

_The shrouded figure gazed at him silently, his face covered by his hood. Renji touched Byakuya's face gently._

_"Taicho...Taicho, it's going to be okay. I will take care of you. I won't let you be hurt anymore...Taicho."_

_Byakuya's lips moved and two words escaped him. The portent of those words tore at the redhead's heart._

_"R-renji...why?"_

_"What?" Renji whispered, "You...think I did this to you? No, Taicho. I wouldn't hurt you like this! I'm going to take care of you. I won't let anything touch you."_

_He started to heal the noble's wounds, but was shocked into action as the reiatsu in the area rose dangerously and the cloaked man fired a kido blast at them._

_"Son of a bitch!" Renji howled, surging to his feet and blocking it._

_He flew at the cloaked figure, firing blazing red blasts of his own and blocking the other man's attacks. He struck out viciously with fists and feet, elbows and knees, taking the man to the ground and fighting, not like the battle-seasoned fukutaicho he was, but like the pathetic, stick-thin Rukon boy he was._

_"Did you forget you have something to protect?"_

_Renji froze at hearing the sound of his own voice. He reached down and tore away the hood, then blanched as he found himself looking at his own face._

_"Wh-what the fuck?" he gasped._

_His look-alike threw sand into his face to incapacitate him, then stood and took aim on the defenseless noble. A hard blast of kido struck Byakuya's unconscious form, tossing him like a rag doll and sending him tumbling away._

_"BASTARD!" screamed Renji, "I don't care WHO the hell you are. You don't hurt him!"_

_Zabimaru appeared in his hands and exploded into ban kai, then swept across the distance between them and swallowed up the look-alike. Renji flash stepped to where Byakuya had landed and knelt beside him, looking desperately for signs of life._

_"Taicho, don't be dead! Taicho! BYAKUYA!"_

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya was torn out of sleep as Renji came awake suddenly, screaming his name and grabbing him tightly.

"BYAKUYA!"

He froze, still half dazed with sleep and confused by the sudden awakening, as Renji held him tightly, sobbing his name and apologizing profusely.

"A-abarai," he managed in a shocked voice, "Renji, what are you...?"

He went silent as the redhead's mouth fastened on his, subduing him instantly with a long, open-mouthed kiss.

"I'm sorry," Renji sobbed senselessly, "I'm sorry I didn't protect you. I know that was my job and I failed you. I'm sorry, Taicho...so sorry!"

"Renji, stop this at..."

He was cut off by an even harder, more frantic kiss that not only busied his mouth, but sent heady jolts of arousal through him. Renji's yukata fell open, fully revealing the redhead's sensuous body and his warm scent filled the noble's lungs as he inhaled and tried to speak again. But he found that stopping Renji became unnecessary when his fukutaicho's brown eyes blinked, and the redhead came to a full awareness of what he was doing.

Byakuya suddenly realized that while Renji's mouth had been distracting him, the redhead's hands had been busy opening his yukata and sliding it down off of his shoulders. He sat in stunned silence, staring at Renji's naked and beautifully aroused body, as Renji stared at his and the redhead struggled to find something to say.

"T-taicho, I'm..."

Byakuya stood, then realized what that left Renji looking at, and hastily closed his yukata.

"Get dressed," Byakuya said curtly, turning away from him, "It is time to begin training."

He walked to the back of the cave and turned his back on Renji as they both dressed. Neither said anything but necessary words as they ate and gathered their weapons They left the cave and walked out of the cluster of rocks, emerging onto the open desert.

Byakuya sensed that Renji was about to say something and cut him off, by turning and attacking without warning. Renji barely stopped the incoming strike, and anger rose in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Byakuya said with his usual edge of sarcasm, "Don't you know better than to lower your guard in a place like this?"

His words and tone seemed to bring the normality back for the two, and they moved into a series of swift strikes and blocks, intermingled with short blasts of kido. The more they fought, the less time they had to think about what had happened back in the cave.

At least, that was what Byakuya had thought in initiating the attacks.

But as their bodies continued to clash, Renji's desperate kisses still burned on the noble's lips, the memory of his scent still filled his senses, and the image of that lovely, naked, muscular, tattooed body struck him harder than Renji's hands and feet as they broke through his usually perfect defenses. He found himself being forced back, and nearly stepped on one of his own traps before gathering himself and forcing the unbidden thoughts away again.

"What's wrong, Taicho?" Renji said, smirking, "You're not focused."

Byakuya frowned.

"Then, why am I not on the ground at your feet?" he asked icily, "If you want to excel, then you are going to have to be willing to put everything into defeating me. No more holding back. Fight me like you mean it, or I will consider you a lost cause and kill you to spare both of us the embarrassment."

Byakuya caught sight of their cloaked and hooded sentry and gave him a barely perceptible nod. The noble attacked with a flurry of high speed strikes, carefully controlled, so as not to really injure, but enough to sting nastily if they landed.

"Ow! Dammit!" Renji snapped, as a blow connected.

"Evade!" Byakuya commanded him, striking more quickly.

Renji blocked several more strikes, then took two hits and gave ground.

"Don't back away from me!" Byakuya ordered him, "Dodge! Move faster!"

"I..."

"Don't speak! Move!" Byakuya panted, forcing himself to his fastest speed and attacking again.

In the midst of a barrage of stinging strikes, he broke away. As part of one motion, the sentry stepped in, taking over where Byakuya had left off, taunting and striking at the redhead, as Byakuya carefully watched and assessed, while also catching his breath. He felt a warning burning sensation in his spirit centers, but ignored it and moved closer to the two fighters, carefully taking note of how the redhead moved, and where he erred. He made several mental notes for use later, then moved away, allowing the sentry and Renji to continue to fight. He thought he sensed an odd, malevolent reiatsu, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had registered. He heard a thud as Renji's body struck the sand, and flash stepped back as the redhead turned and came to his feet, howling with fury and intent on doing damage.

"Damn it!" he cried, "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

The sentry took him to the ground and held him there.

"Your emotions are getting in the way," he said coldly, "You will die if you do not learn to control them."

He raised a hand, preparing to loose a kido blast at point blank range. Renji barely blocked the blast and tumbled away, rolling aside just in time to miss being hit by another blast of kido. Byakuya joined in, firing kido from one direction, while the sentry did the same from another. Renji registered the cooperation between their attacks and swore again.

Byakuya fully expected him to be sent back to the ground. He made a sound of surprise as Renji launched himself directly at the noble, his hand catching Byakuya's sleeve as he moved and throwing him off balance. While he was distracted with recovering himself, Renji broke away and attacked the sentry, moving so quickly that the other man was forced to back away. Byakuya attacked from behind, again expecting, based on prior fights, that Renji would be too distracted with the other enemy to defend against it. Inexplicably, Renji turned and loosed a blast of kido at point blank range.

Byakuya was thrown off balance again, but was convinced that, having anticipated him like that, the redhead should have hurt him to some extent. He met the sentry's eyes, and an unspoken message passed between them.

"You are holding back. Why?" the sentry asked in Byakuya's voice, "If you do not put everything into this fight, I _will_ kill you, Renji. I consider it a matter of honor."

He shoved the redhead away, and Renji dropped to his knees on the sand. The sentry watched quietly and waited.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Taicho," Renji panted, "It's...it's just that awful dream I had about...about you being hurt, and..."

The sentry flash stepped forward and grabbed the redhead by the front of his shihakusho, shaking him as he spoke.

"Do NOT let your emotions interfere with your fighting! You are leaving yourself vulnerable. As fighting Aizen showed us, the enemy can show us any face...and we must be able to fight despite that. Get up, Renji. Get up and kill me or I will kill you."

Renji's eyes widened.

"Taicho...?"

The sentry drew his weapon and struck at the stunned redhead.

Byakuya flash stepped in and took hold of the sentry's hand, blocking his body and stopping him.

"That will be enough," he said quietly, "Show him."

Renji's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.

"T-taicho?"

Byakuya and the other gazed at Renji and removed their hoods, exposing their identical faces.

"Taicho?" Renji queried in a disbelieving voice, "Taicho...is that...a reigai?"


End file.
